I woke up before my alarm. Soon the bus would be here to pick up thirteen of my squadmates along with me. I realized what I had gotten myself into: today I would be bungee jumping. The thought scared me. The excitement of signing up had made me forget that I would be jumping off a platform into thin air. Could I really do this?
But, bungee jumping has been something I’ve really wanted to do for a while now. Even more so after I read a blog about how a girl said she would say yes to any opportunity God put in front of her on the race. So, I got up and got ready for what I thought would be a 2-hour bus ride.
So I boarded a bouncy bus ride that climbed up the edge of the Himalayas. We stopped for tea after 2 hours at a small little village restaurant to find out that we still had another hour and a half to go. I kept telling myself that it only took a moment of courage to jump off the platform.
We arrived to the “resort” which was some small buildings on the other side of a cable swinging bridge. Before we crossed, we got to see part of another group bungee jump. In that moment, I thought maybe I’ll canyon swing instead of bungee jump. That was until our guide and local pastor, Bippan, showed me the rope for the canyon swing and how I’d have to jump off the same bridge.
I did not look down as we crossed the bridge in order to keep my resolve. We were weighed and half of our group was scuttled back out onto the bridge. I continued not looking down as I was put in a body harness and ankle harnesses. The closer it got to my turn, the more I panicked. I got out on the platform and was overcome by fear. I was holding onto the crew helping me and they told me to just try it and that they wouldn’t push me.
Somehow in that moment of panic, I decided to look down to see what I was up against. I hadn’t looked down before this point, so what was below the bridge was totally unknown to me. When I looked down, I saw the river below and was overcome with a sense of peace. I thought it doesn’t look that far. Suddenly, I was able to have that moment of courage to put my arms out and jump.
And it was awesome! The canyon was beautiful and I got a bird’s eye view of it. The moment at the bottom was basically like a moment of worship, as described by my squadmate Saraya.
You’ve stepped outside of the normal parameters of life and at the bottom you don’t think of life’s pressures. You’re just in awe.
Life can be like that. The fear of what you don’t know keeps you from having moments of courage. If you would step out of safety to talk to someone or pray with someone, not knowing how they will receive you, you could have an awe inspiring experience and see God move. So what are you waiting for? Step off.
